Month: November 2018

Hi everyone! Our journey is about to come to an end, but the last step is possibly as important as the first! Now that we have successfully made our own personal green shifts, we need to spread the knowledge to others so they can begin their own. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking, “Sarah, don’t tell me that we are going to be one of those people that shame everyone else if they don’t sew their own clothes and live in a self-sustainable tiny house in the woods!” The answer to that is a big no. I don’t like being shamed for my habits any more than others, but that is not what we are trying to do here. In order to spread the green shift, we can’t force it on others. We can only provide them with knowledge and encouragement so that they can want to do it for themselves. These should be gentle nudges to prompt people you are close with to start thinking about their habits.

Most importantly, to get people to start the green shift, you can’t just tell them to. You have to work on it together. Go out and plant some trees with your coworkers, plant vegetables in the community garden with your neighbors, or pick up some trash in the parking lot with your family.

Say you are out shopping with your best friend and they get a disposable plastic bag for their item. In this scenario, I often gently suggest that they carry the few items instead of getting the bag or show them one of my cute reusable bags and encourage them to get one. I have done this with one of my close friends before (well, actually I grabbed the plastic bag to put it back and carried her stuff for the rest of the day, but maybe that was a little forceful). What I have learned is that being gentle always works better.

Maybe you eat lunch with your coworker that uses plastic dishes and utensils every day. I would probably show them my reusable lunch box. It has really cool compartments so you can portion your food (and keep different foods from touching, which is a big plus for me). I try to use different selling points than just being eco-friendly when suggesting products to people. Then, if they don’t care about the reusable part, maybe they really like the different compartments for food. This also helps to reduce the shame factor as well.

We can also provide others with knowledge so that they want to start the green shift for themselves. This site gives a few facts that are a quick read and easy to share. You can slip these facts into unrelated conversation, repeatedly post them on social media, or make posters to hang in your dorm window for all to see (just kidding, those may be a bit much, but if you are all for that then go for it).

If you are going out to the farmer’s market or cleaning up litter, invite some friends! Not only will it make it much more fun, but it will get them involved in helping the environment. Working as a team to tackle big challenges

like cleaning up a river will make it so much more manageable and will give everyone a sense of accomplishment. Maybe you can make it a monthly habit!

So, there we have it folks! Thank you so much for spending the past few months with me on this journey to reduce our impact on the environment. So now we must continue these practices and spread the green shift to others. Together we can make a real difference. Thank you!

Hello everyone! We are almost done with our green shift and I am super excited for all of you who have joined me on this journey! This week we will be discussing how to involve the whole family in environmental friendly activities. This post is mainly geared towards families with children so if that doesn’t apply to you, don’t worry. There are plenty of activities that you can do with younger siblings, cousins, or neighbors next time you are home.

Having an environmentally friendly home is a fantastic way to reduce our impact on the world, but for many parents that is not the priority when trying to raise a family. However, there are many activities for children that are not wasteful and can teach them valuable lessons on how to become environmentally friendly.

First of all, it is important to teach children about conservation early in life. Young children can understand that it is important to turn off lights and electronics when not using them, turn off the faucet when washing hands or brushing teeth, and to not let food go to waste. As parents, it is important to be good role models for these habits because children will pick up on your actions, for better or for worse. This site gives 10 ways to teach children about the importance of conserving resources and reducing impact on the environment.

As for activities for kids, it can be easy as a tired parent to let the kids go play in the sprinkler for an hour so you can take a quick nap. I think any parent would understand that, but there are better activities for children that do not waste resources. One thing kids can do is make recycled art! There are a variety of materials to use for crafts that would otherwise go to waste. Or, if your kids prefer playing outside, have them plant seeds or tend the garden! Kids love getting dirty, so let them while helping the environment. They can choose what plants they want to grow so they are more involved and learn to take responsibility for their new garden. This site gives suggestions for easy seeds for kids to plant and take care of.

If you have a farmer’s market around, take the children to pick out some fresh foods to cook into a meal together. This activity is one of my favorites because I love to cook with fresh food from the farmer’s market. This activity is great for kids as well because it teaches them to appreciate where their food came from and all the hard work that went into making it themselves. For some easy recipes that kids can make, check out this site!

Thank you for joining me this week, see you next time!